IQNA

TEHRAN (IQNA) – A senior Iranian cleric wrote a letter to the head of the Catholic Church, calling on him to step in to end the US sanctions on Iran.

Ayatollah Mostafa Mohaghegh Damad, who is a senior member of the Academy of Sciences of Iran, in the letter, reminded Pope Francis that while the Iranian people, including children and the elderly, are facing the deadly coronavirus and suffering from the consequences of its outbreak, the US sanctions against the country have increased their suffering and closed doors to solving many problems.

These embargoes have had direct negative effects on the lives of people in Iran and deprived them of their natural rights, the cleric added.

He called on the Pope to step in and make efforts to put an end to the sanctions.

The letter was given to Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Seyed Abbas Araqchi to be submitted to Pope Francis.

The US has ratcheted up pressure on Iran since May 2018 after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and imposed tough sanctions on the Iranian people.

The sanctions have caused many problems in the way of dealing with the coronavirus outbreak in Iran, which has left more than 1,000 people dead so far.

The Health Ministry announced on Wednesday that the total number of COVID-19 cases in Iran has reached 17,361.